Door



March 26, 1929. A K 1,706,442

DOOR

Filed Aug. 13, 1926- 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR.

v dMf/YA, Jayne/ck ATTORNEYS March 26, 1929. Q DAUTRICK 1,706,442

DOOR

Filed Aug. 15, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT. )FF ICE.

OWEN LJDAUTRICK, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

DOOR.

Application filed August 13. 1926. Serial No. 128,924.

The invention relates to doors and refers more particularly to an improved door or panel for use in garages, buildings, etc.

One of the objects of my invention resides in providing simple means for converting a pair of swinging doors into a one-piece door of the sliding type; also a sliding door construction affording low head room in the garage or other building. A further feature is inproviding for the removal of strain from the door itself; also in providing a Figure 1 is an elevational viewof the I door from within the. garage or other build- Figure 2 is a detail sectional view along line 22 of Figure 1;

F igure-3 is a vertical sectional view along line 33' of Figure 1,. showing the door substantially half way open;

Figure i is an enlarged detail viewshowing the upper door roller in position corresponding to the closed position of, the door; Figure 5 is a detail plan View of a chain sheave shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a detail sectional elevation View along line 6-6" of Figure 2;

Figure 7 .is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by line 7'-7, in'Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a sectional View taken substantially on the plane indicated byline 8-8 of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a modified form of construction; and

Figure 10 is an elevational view of the sheave arrangement of the modified construction. 1

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 to 8 inclusive, it 'willbe noted that there is illustrated fragmentarily a building 10, such as a garage or the like, provided with a door frame 11. A door 12 is adapted to close the door opening of'the building, and in the present instance, the door 12 comprises a pair of door sections 13, because in addition to the other features particularly illustrated in Figure 3.

the invention contemplates the conversion of a' pair of swinging doors to a single sliding door panel. For this purpose the two door sections 13 are united by cross beams 14 arranged at suitable spaced points, beams which are- L-shaped in cross section being found satisfactory for-this purpose. Thus the two door sections 13 may be united into a single panel and operable in a manner to be more fully hereinafter described for closing the door opening.

.Arr-anged adjacent each vertical side of the door opening and preferably secured to the door frame 11 thereof is a track member 15 formed, for instance, of a channel bar.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 8, these track-ways 15 extend from a point substantially intermediate the vertical height of the door-way to a point adjacent to the top thereof, as more Extending at right angles to each track-way 15 is a track-Way 16, these latter track-ways extending inwardly of the building 10 or at right angles to the normal plane of the door. These-latter track-ways may also be conveniently formed of channel bars. These trackways project horizontally from adjacent the upper ends of the track-ways 15 and their outer ends are connected b a brace 17 extending therebetween, which functions to maintain these track-ways in proper spaced relation and to reinforce the same. The por-. tion of each track-way 16 adjacent the track-way 15 is provided with-a downwardly extending leg or branch 18 so that the guide rolls working in the tI'lClC-WZIYSlG' may, when moved coincident with the laterally extending branches 18, enter the same to permit a short vertical movement of the door. Diagonally arranged supports or braces 19 may be provided for maintaining the horizontal track-ways 16 in the position illustrated.

Guide rollers 20 are secured to the vertical sides of the door adjacent the upper edge thereof, these rollers being adapted for engagem'ent with the track-ways 16 for guidingly supporting the upper edge of the door 12. In addition, rollers 21 are'secured, as,

for instance, by means of'brackets 22, to the vertical side edges of the door substantially.

intermediate the height of the door and are arranged 'for engagement in the verticaltrack-ways 15. Through .the medium of hooks or "the like 23 flexible members, such as chains 24, maybe connected to the. door I will be readily apparent that in openin the' door from its substantially vertical or closed position to a substantiall horizontal open position, the-rollers'21 .wi travel upwardl in the vertical track-ways 15, while the rol ers 20 adjacent the to edge of the door will be first moved out o the, vertical branches 18 of the horizontal track-ways 16 and will subsequently move longitudinally through these track-ways to a point adjacent the end .thereof. The weight of, the door is practically entirely supported by means of the chains 24' and the counterbalancing wei hts when the latter is do 27 so that the rollers 21 and 20 and their cooperating guideways 15 and 16 function only as guides for directing the movement of the door and changing the movement from a vertical one into a horizontal one. As will beapgarent from the disclosure in the drawings, uildings with low head room may be equipped with doors of this character, as the body of the door above a point substantial! alignment with the in horizontal tog e ge. of the door se For the purpose of weather-proofing the door, I provide the following construction:

' Substantially the lower half of the dooris of a reduce width suificient-to'permit it to be'swung betweenthe vertical sides of the door frame 11, as illustrated in Figure 3, while the upper half is of awidth Sufiicient to abut the door frame. Fi e 7 representsa fragmentary sectiona view taken through the upper portion of the door and from this. it will be noted. that the .edge 28 of the door'12 in the closed positionIis-arranged m overlapping engagement with the door frame 11, .w 'le in 'Figure 8, which is a section taken through the lower half of the door, the edge 29 of the door clears or stops short of the door 'frame 11. For clos mg the'spacebetween the door frame and the door throughout the lower half of the; I provide weather-proofing strips 30 securedto the door frame and adapted to latter,

' engaged in overlapping relation by means of weather-proof strips 31 carried by the. door. Thus the door ma be swung to open gQSltlGll', as suggested in dotted lines in igure 8, but in closed osition the weatherproofing strips 30 an 31 will engage to points at which the never passes close the space between the door and door frame.

A handle H may be provided which will be grasped by the operator when initially raising the door, and. for securing the door, 7

in closed position, a latch L may be em ployed .engageable with a keeper K." 0bviously the form of the handle H, as well as the locking mechanism LK,- may be altered as found necessary or ex edient.

In Figures" 9 and 10 a slight ymodified form of construction is illustrated in which p thedoor consists of upper and 1ower s ections 32 and 33 1'espect1vely. In addition to the track-ways 15 and 16 a second vertiso I cal track way 34 'is arrangedat each side. of

, the door-way adjacent to and parallel with the other vertical track-we 15. The lower door section 33 is provide at both vertical edgeswith a guide roller 35 similar to the guide rollers 21 associated with the door 10 in the first described construction and with the door sections 32 in this modified form.

The track-way 16 will be provided with a a short vertical branch 18, as in the first form described, I I In place of the single sheave 25 arranged at each side of the doorway, I provide in this present form a pair of sheaves 36. Over which aflexible member 37 extends, the free '95 ends of which are connected respectively to the door sections 32 and 33 preferably at the around a sheave 38, to which a counterbal-' ide rollers 21 and 35 j are located. This fl xible member 37 after passing over the sheaves 36, will be looped ancing weight 39 is connected. Thus the s counterbalancing weights at eachside of the door act on the twodoor sections to assist in moving the same from closed to open position, but inasmuch as the sections of the.

door may move at different rates of speed or difi'erent distances, such independent relative movement of the door sections is mitted .by looping around the sheaves 38. Hence the door may be moved from its closed to its-open position and during this movement the sections 32 and 33 will be folded one upon the other and together moved to a substantially horizontal position. In this form likewise practically the entire weight of a door is supported by the counterbalancing'weight 39' so that-the track-ways 15, 16 and 34 cooperate with the r-- the flexible mem ers associated guide rollers for guiding purposes 1 only.

In both forms the invention the sh ort vertical-branches 18' of the horizontal track-- 1 ways lfi pe'rmit the door to automatically adjust itself in closing to irregularities in the ground or floor toward which the doormoves. The length :of these short vertical branch track-ways will be sufficient so that when the lower edge ofthedoor isjrestin upon the floor or ground, the rollers 20 9 still be spaced from the lower end of these track-ways.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that with the herein described doorconvertical position to a substantially horizontal position. The invention provides a door construction aifording low head room in a garage or other building, because, as previously pointed out, the door is so guided that in its movement from closed to open position no part thereof extends beyond a plane in substantial alignment with the top edge ofathe door when closed. The invention also provides simple and efiicient means for counterbalancing the door at all times and for supporting the door by the counterbalancing means in practically every position thereof and for removing practically all strains from the'door itself.

While a preferred and a modified construction of the door has been illustrated herein somewhat in detail, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be resorted to in many of the essential and nonessential details without departing from the.

spirit and scope thereof and to this end reservation is made to make such changes as may come within the purview of the accompanying claims.

l/Vhat I claim as my invention is: 1. In a door construction for buildings or the like, a door member, a pair of substantiallyvertical tracks arranged at opp0- site sides of-the door, a pair of substantially horizontal tracks extending inwardly of the building near the top of the said Vertical tracks and closed with respect thereto, rollers carried by the door engageable in said tracks, said horizontal tracks having vertically disposed pockets closed at their lower ends for receiving certain of said rollers in the closed position of the door.

2. In a door construction, the combination of a door, substantially vertical track on each side of the door, a substantially horizontal track on each side of thedoor, each horizontal track having a vertically extending portion for permitting a vertical movement ofv the door while the same is in vertical position, rollers on the said door engageable in the said tracks, counter-balancing means acting on the said, door whereby it may be moved from a substantially vertical closed position to a substantially horizontal open position guided by said tracks, and flexible means movable insaid vertical tracks and connecting said counterbalancing means to said door.

3. In a door construction, the combination of a'door, a substantially vertical track on each side of the door, a separate track on each side of the door angularly arranged with respect. to each vertical track, each ofthe said angularly arranged tracks having a pocket for permitting a vertical movcn'ient of the door while the same is in vertical position, rollers on the said (loor engageable in the said tracks, counter-balancing means acting on the said door whereby it may be moved from a substantially vertical closed position to a substantially horizontal open position guided by said tracks and flexible means movable in said vertical tracks and connecting said counterbalancing means to said door. a

4:. In a door construction, the combination of a door comprising hinged sections, a pair of substantially vertical tracks on each side of the said door, a substantially horizontal track on each side of the door, each horizontal track being provided with a laterally extending portion for permitting a vertical movement of the door while the same is in vertical *position, rollers carried by the said door sections and engageable in the said tracks, a counter-balancing weight on each side of the door, a sheave carried by said counter-balancing weight, and a flexible member extending around the said sheave and having its opposite ends arranged to extend, one into each of the said substantia-lly vertical tracks and to be connected to carried by said door and engageable with said tracks, said horizontal tracks having means associated therewith for receiving certain of said rollers in the closed position of the door whereby to permit of a limited vertical movement of the ,door to compensate for, any irregularities beneath the same and at the same time preventing horizontal movement thereof. I i

6. In a door construction, the combination with a door frame and a door in said frame, of means for'mounting the door for movement from a substantially vertical closed position to a substantially horizontal open position, said means includinga system of vertical and horizontal tracks carried by said frame and a plurality of rollers carried by said door and engageable with said tracks, said horizontal tracks having depending branches receiving certain of said movement of the door to compensate for any irregularities beneath the same and at the same time maintainin the said door in a strictlv vertical plane in close proximity to 5 said frame.

7. In a door construction'for buildings or the like, a door frame, a door member, substantially vertical tracks carried by said frame and arranged at opposite edges of i 1 said door, substantially horizontal tracks extending inwardly of the building adjacent the upper ends of said vertical tracks, rollers carried by the door engageable with said tracks, said horizontal tracks being provided extending branches for receiving certain 0 said rollers with laterally and downward? in the closed position of the door, said branches permitting a limited vertical move-. ment of thedoor while maintaining said door in a strictly vertical plan in close proximity to said frame.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

; OWEN L. DAUTRICK. 

